Merlin’s Magic Special Colts Game Edition

It’s been a long time since I have written an article. Real life has intruded into my life in a big and unwelcome way. I did want to chime in with a special edition before the Colts game. Just to get some housekeeping out of the way. My official prediction for wins this year was seven. It looks like the Chiefs will at least meet that prediction and probably exceed it. At best, I thought our first quarter of play would give use two wins. While we are heavy underdogs for the Colts game, it’s very possible that we could pull the upset. The Colts are banged up and haven’t stopped the run all year. If I were running the show, be prepared for a heavy dose of Jones, Charles and McCluster. Once that’s established, the Colts secondary can be picked on. They are very banged up back there. The key to beating the Colts defense is stopping Dwight Freeney. It’s not rocket science. The other side of the ball, well that’s rocket science. Even though the Colts are banged up at receiver, Peyton Manning is still the QB. Paging Berry, Arenas and Lewis. Your graduate level exam will be administered Sunday. Professor Manning will be testing. I hope you studied hard during your break.

Chief fans should be thrilled that we have a competitive team for the first time in a couple of years. A unexpected 3-0 start is not without it’s surprises. Here are my top three surprises.

1] The play of the defensive front seven. I can’t say enough about the play of the front seven. Romeo Crennel deserves a lot of credit for some nice schemes, but the players have really stepped up. Jovan Belcher has played very well. However, he is not the only one. Ron Edwards and Shaun Smith have played much better than I thought they were capable of. We still need more talent there, but this is a very encouraging start.

2] The 2010 draft class. Based on early reviews, this class does not look like a home run, it looks like a grand slam. A class like this really accelerates our development. Rarely does a class come along that is this good. I am loath to to single anyone out, but Tony Moeaki may turn out to be our steal of the draft. He has been the go-to guy for Cassel and that’s huge.

3] The offensive line play. Ryan Lilja seems to have solidified a guard spot and Brian Waters looks rejuvinated. I thought Waters would retire at the end of the year, but he may have more in the tank. Casey Weigmann has played well, even at his advanced age. Brandon Albert has played well and Barry Richardson has done well stepping in for an injured Ryan O’Callaghan. For draft needs, I am still looking at C and OT.

OK Addicts, those are my surprises for the year. What are yours?